Friday, July 12, 2013

The Dire: Jason Whitlock

In
the spirit of full-disclosure, I feel the need to tell you the following: When I
was a member of my high school newspaper, the two most influential sports
writers for me, were Mike Lupica and Jason Whitlock. Both were smart, witty and
highly entertaining to read. Between them, they represented so much of what I identified
with; the little Jewish guy from New York and the angry, hip-hop loving
outsider in Kansas City. Both have gone to disappoint me, in their opinions and
attitudes towards the athletes they've spent careers covering.

I’ve
also been a big fan of Jay-Z since his first album came out in 1996. Now you’re
probably asking, where could this all be leading to? Well, Whitlock has really
pissed me off. Two days ago, Whitlock published a column taking Jay-Z to task
for entering the world of sports, as he has recently been certified as a sports
agent and started signing some very prominent stars.

I
have no idea if Jay will be a decent agent, a great agent or a horrible agent, all
of that remains to be seen. What’s obvious right now, and painfully so, is how
wrong Whitlock is. Whitlock isn't saying that Jay will fail, but that he has no
business attempting a new business venture. And, ironically, Whitlock’s
reasoning has a race as the foundation.

I’m
not going to go through Whitlock’s column, point by point and argue each of his
ridiculous claims. No, that’s too easy. When I read it, using that approach was
my inclination. Then it dawned on me, and I saw what Whitlock was really doing.
Once a year or so, Whitlock’s name would find its way into the larger sports
conversation. There was an idiotic joke about Jeremy Lin followed up, 10 months
later, by a thoughtful column about guns after Jovan Belcher’s murder/suicide.

Mostly,
however, Whitlock was an after-thought. Going after Jay-Z was a calculated move.
Jay-Z is a lightning rod for publicity. And right now, he’s selling a new album
and promoting a summer tour with the biggest pop-star in the world, Justin Timberlake.
So Whitlock is calling him out, and
comparing him to the house slave from “Django Unchained” is all about getting
himself some publicity.

Whitlock
calls Jay a “n*gga rapper” for the frequent use of the word in Jay’s songs. His
opinion might be eye opening, if Whitlock wasn't always tweeting about his love
of the show “The Wire.” “The Wire” is basically, a television version of many Jay-Z
songs. Whitlock’s Twitter-bio says, “The
Wire explains my life perspective.” But this week, Jay-Z is a sellout for “willing
to entertain the masses with n*gga tales.”

I
tried, but I can’t just leave so many of Whitlock’s points un-checked. First of
all, Jay-Z entrance in to the sports world isn’t new. He purchased a stake of
the Nets (previously of New Jersey) and helped move them to Brooklyn. His reported investment, netted him a 135%
gain. Whitlock points out that, Jay didn't ask LeBron James to rap on his
album. Right, well, this venture doesn't end with Jay playing shortstop for the
Yankees. It’s the business side of sports. And Jay isn't doing this by himself.
He didn't open up some office on 5th Ave, hire a secretary and start
calling on his pals. He has a partner with more than a little experience in
this world, Creative Artists Agency. They represent the likes of Timberlake,
Hanks, Aniston, Springsteen, Kanye, Beckham, Manning, Jeter and Cruise.

This
also isn’t Jay’s first foray into the business world. There was his clothing line, Roc-A-Wear, which
he sold for $204 million. He opened a few successful night clubs, 40/40. He has
a partnership with Budweiser Select and was credited as the executive producer
of NBA2K13. As President of Def Jam
Recordings, he helped launch the careers of Rihanna and Ne-Yo. He has a partnership with a former music
executive, Steve Stoute, in Translation Advertising, which had resulted in
award winning advertising.

I’m
not sure how Whitlock is able to talk out of both sides of his mouth, or type
out both sides of his keyboard, and continue to be so well compensated. In early July, Whitlock blamed our countries
love of violence for Aaron Hernandez. He stated that modern athletes mimic
rappers, carry guns and do drugs. But
just yesterday he tweeted about how great “The Wire” was. Calling some of the
characters CEOs, debating who the smartest drug dealer was and justifying
(fictional) murders.

Long
ago, Jason Whitlock stopped being a journalist and started thinking of himself
as a brand, a brand only concerned with selling itself. Much like the
Kardashian’s he (rightfully) pokes fun at. 20 years ago, he defended hip-hop, now he rails
against it. A week ago he called out a country for its love affair with
gangsters, and yesterday he celebrated them.

Jason,
go back to blocking for Jeff George. Because you know what I see?

“I see a man without a country. Not hard
enough for this right here and maybe, just maybe, not smart enough for them out
there.”